Author: Adrian Damora (WWF-Indonesia)

Rich in fish resources. Maybe that's the nickname I can conclude when starting to board the fast boat to return to Seven Seas, after today (3/11) finished exploring Ustutun Village, a village located on Liran Island, the westernmost island of Southwest Maluku Regency. For approximately six hours the Land Team and I were in this village to gather information about the utilization and management of marine resources. Starting with discussions with the village head and residents, direct interviews with fishermen, to observing the landing of fish catches.

From the series of activities that the Land Team and I did in Ustutun Village, one thing that really caught my attention was how the fishermen there marketed the fish they caught. A little information, the types of fish caught by Ustutun Village fishermen are mostly reef fish, ranging from snapper, grouper, baronang, and cockatoo. It may sound normal to people who understand fisheries. But wait a minute! There is a uniqueness that I tried to scrutinize, which made my forehead furrow. Imagine that! All types of caught fish are sold mixed together, not separated by type as we often see in other areas. My amazement grew when I found out that the fish were priced based on the type of fishing gear. Fishing rod catches are valued at IDR 25,000 per kilogram, while gill net catches are valued at IDR 15,000 per kilogram. Interesting, isn't it?

My curiosity was not yet complete. I also tried to find out more information about the marketing flow of these fish. My forehead furrowed when I found out that the fish were sold by the collectors - the first buyers of the fish from the fishermen - to buyers from Timor Leste. They sold the fish in a mixed condition. According to them, the buyers only sold the fish by species after they arrived in Timor Leste, which means that the selling value of the fish had just started to follow the general market price. I was immediately prejudiced. It could be that the Timorese buyers are exporting Liran Island's reef fish outside of Timor Leste, where the price is certainly far from what the fishermen sell to the collectors. How sad.

How many losses have the fishermen in Ustutun Village suffered? They are also not to blame for selling their catches to Timor Leste. Their reason is quite clear, namely that the local and central governments have not facilitated them with a proper catch handling and marketing system, so that the fish caught from Ustutun Village can still penetrate the export market through domestic channels without having to sell it to Timor Leste.

I have high hopes that the National Logistics System (Sislognas) currently being promoted by the Indonesian Government can help provide a solution to this problem. Do not let the fishermen of Indonesia's outer islands be forced to sell the 'dignity' of the nation's fish to other countries while they themselves continue to live in poverty.